The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Location is everything
By Kristy Acuff
Crested Butte Horse Park owners Kirsten Atkins and Heath Hansens recently won a lawsuit filed by neighbors opposed to their plan to build a small camping area on their 73-acre horse park on Highway 135 across from Cement Creek Road.
The lawsuit alleged that a campground violated a restrictive covenant prohibiting trailers, mobile homes or other temporary dwellings on the property.
But Gunnison County District Court Chief Judge Steven Patrick determined that the restrictive covenant applied to only 6.1 acres of the property and did not apply to the area where the campground was proposed, giving Atkins and Hansens a green light to proceed.
“We are extremely happy with this result,” says Atkins.
In February of this year, the Gunnison County Commissioners approved the horse park development, which, at that time, did not include a campground due to the active lawsuit. The horse park will eventually include a 30,500-square-foot indoor arena, nearly 3,000 square feet of horse sheds and pens, a hay shed and compost facility, as well as an outdoor arena and competitive trail course. The horse park will offer horseback riding lessons, clinics, competitions and boarding.
